Conrad Weller sat quietly in front of his older brother, trying very, very hard to maintain his dignity and keep his jaw from hitting the floor. Honestly Gwendal had to be joking! Please? Why did he have to be the one affected by this, ridiculous, antiquated, Von Spitzweg family law? Why did these things always happen to him? Sighing quietly he inclined his head to his elder brother and left the room. It was times like this when he was very glad he had Yozak to confide in. honestly he didn't know how he would survive without the big spy.

He found his friend where Yozak usually was at this time of night – stretched out on top of the roof watching the stars. Quietly he settled himself down beside his friend. Sitting on the old shingles and just gazed out at the stars, what was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to deal with this?

"Hay what's wrong?" Yozak asked sitting up beside him.

Conrad sighed and didn't bother turning to look at his friend. He knew just what he would see.

"Mother's family has some old law. If her youngest son reaches a certain age and Stoffel hasn't produced an heir one of her son's automatically becomes his heir. Wolfram had his 92 birthday three weeks ago, and Stoffel isn't even married, and hasn't to anyone's knowledge produced even a single bastard born child. The law is now in effect." He sighed and leaned into his friend's shoulder, seeking the support he knew he would find there.

"Gwendal is lord Von Voltaire so he's exempt because he can't be lord of two provinces and he's not married so he has no sons to pass the title on two. Wolfram's a bastard and even if he wasn't he's marrying the King so he can't take the title. That leaves me and thanks to this stupid law I have to be married before I can inherit and I only have until my next birthday to either marry or at least prove that I'm involved with somebody – or Stoffel gets to chose who I'm going to marry! Great One I hate this – I have two weeks to get into a relationship or Stoffel gets to chose for me. I get the fact that of all mother's children I am the best suited to an arranged marriage but it's Stoffel we're talking about he'll probably chose the worst person he can just because he hates me!"

Yozak wrapped his arm around his friend, "is there any way out of it?" he asked quietly.

Conrad shook his head.

"We'll think of something," he said seriously, then added cheekily "we can always have your mother throw you a ball. Like one of those earth fairytales Yuri was reading to Greta. You know invite every eligible woman in the land."

Conrad snorted. "Just one problem – other than Julia, I –iveneverbeenattractedtoawoman."

Yozak blinked "Could you please repeat that?"

"Other than Julia I've never found a woman attractive." Conrad confessed hiding his face in embarrassment.

"Why didn't you say so?" Yozak laughed, "we'll just have to find you a nice man."

"I've never really found men attractive either."

"What are You Asexual?" Yozak demanded briefly. "how can you not find either sex attractive?"

Conrad flushed. "I've never really given it much thought." He confessed. " I mean Julia was beautiful, You're handsome, and Yuri's sweet in an utterly hopelessly naive way, but still I – I just never gave sex much thought let alone members of the opposite sex or even my own sex. Am I making any sense?"

Yozak snorted, " I think you need to go see Gisela because at your age not thinking about it just isn't normal! Maybe you have a hormone deficiency or something. But anyway we have to find a way around this; I'm sure between the two of us we can think of something."

~~~***~~~

One, Week later

~~~***~~~

Stoffel smiled down at his sister's half-breed child. One more week and the boy would be to disgraced to ever set foot outside of his rooms again. He'd chosen his mate already – he'd had to cash in a few favors but he'd found a suitable wench. She was a distance cousin of some lord. She'd also been completely disgraced to the point that her father would agree to any marriage with relief. Years ago the young woman had fallen in love with a man nearly twice her age, a man who'd convinced her to sleep with him since they would soon be married only to drop her as soon as he'd gotten what he wanted.

After that the woman had slept her way through the entire court and the majority of the young noble males in the hopes that some young lord would get her pregnant and take responsibility for her and their child. It was true she'd stayed away from the royal family. But that was mostly because like most people she was intimidated by the eldest son of the former Maou and found the youngest to be to young at the time . and as for the middle son - Well the woman felt that her status as a woman who was regarded as easy was preferable to allowing a filthy half-breed to sully her with his filth.

Her Father had agreed to the match simply because he couldn't hope to find her a better or poorer match. However the girl herself had proven to be hard headed and very opinionated particularly in regards to her belief that Conrad and others like him should have been drowned at birth or sold off to some fate worse than death. She'd ranted and raved the entire time he'd been there that if he chose her she would do everything in her power to disgrace Conrart – she swore Conrad would never touch her – that she would never do her duty as the boy's wife.

She was perfect!

It would buy him time for Gwendal or Wolfram to have children or for him to sire some of his own.

He looked down at the boy. "You have one week, if you find someone willing to disgrace themselves by admitting to being in a relationship with you, present them on your birthday at the party announcing you as my heir."

That said, he turned around and left the room content in the knowledge that he'd cornered the boy. Conrad had no other option!

~~~***~~~

Conrad sighed and ran a comb through his always perfect hair. He hated this. Needless to say Stoffel's prediction of his being unable to find anyone willing to lower themselves enough to marry him or even to pretend to be in a relationship with him long enough to buy him a little bit more time, had come true.

So now he had no choice but to meet and except Stoffel's choice.

He hated this

It was true he hadn't given much thought to marriage

But he'd always thought that if he did marry – it would be for love.

Looks like he wouldn't even be allowed that

With a small sigh he pulled himself to his feet and left the room. He headed for the small chamber off to the side of the grand hall. It was time to await his fate with as much dignity as he could manage.

This was it the beginning of the end, and he hated it!

~~~***~~~

Yozak ran a hand through his shaggy hair and made his way down to the great hall, he'd spent the last two weeks trying to come up with a way to save his best friend from his fate but he hadn't been able to think of anything and he cared to much for Conrart to take advantage of his friend's predicament and use it to his own gain. Truthfully he was in love with his best friend and had been for a long time. He'd been tempted to offer to 'play the part of Conrad's boyfriend' to buy his friend time. Hell part of him wanted to offer to marry his best friend just to protect him. His motives were purely selfish but it would have protected Conrart. He sighed and closed his eyes briefly. Forcing himself not to take advantage of the situation had been the hardest thing he'd ever done but like it or not whoever Stoffel chose they would be better for Conrart then he could ever be. They would also be more worthy of him.

He turned down the hall, headed towards the side room of the grand hall, Conrad would be there and Yozak was sure the younger man could use a pep-talk. He just had to find the right side room there were three of them after all. One containing the elusive lord Adalric; Conrad's grandfather was a recluse – and even Cecilia hadn't seen him more than a time or two since the first time she'd been married.

He was looking forward to meeting the man – or rather to seeing him again for the first time since Conrad graduated from the Shin Makoku Royal military Academy. Still he didn't want to barge in on the man – he made Gwendal look like a kitten.

He stopped outside of one of the doors, and knocked sharply. "Conrart?" he called "how are you holding up?"

The door opened to reveal an older blond, with hazel eyes that had a tendency towards green. "Wrong door, young one," Lord Adalric told him calmly as he opened the door. Like Gwendal he was a very intimidating figure but not nearly as bad once you got to know him still it was always best not to linger in his presence. Ironically out of his three grandsons it was Conrart the man was closest to. Despite the fact that he'd never admitted to it they all knew Conrad was his favorite.

"Conrart is in the side room with the curtain entrance to the Grand Hall." Adalric said shortly before closing the door.

Yozak sighed and looked at the now closed door between him and Conrad's grandfather, "thanks for the information." He told the solid wood and quickly turned to go find Conrad, before taking his place in the Great Hall.

He was just passing the door to the little room beside the one Conrad was in when he heard it. A woman's voice raised in an enraged shriek carried through the much thinner doors. Stoffel's voice followed just second's latter. He couldn't help it he pressed himself up against the wall and listened. This room shared a common wall with the one Conrad was currently in so Conrad could undoubtedly hear everything that was being said.

His heart broke for his best friend.

He couldn't imagine how badly hearing this had to hurt. He knew the woman by her voice alone Lady Alexa was no lady, actually she was lose and had the reputation of sleeping with anyone over the age of consent. She was also ranting about how filthy Conrad was and how she would never do her duty as his wife. Stoffel's retort nearly gave him a heart attack. The man didn't care as long as the wedding was consummated. After that she could do whatever she wanted, as long as she made sure no children ever resulted from their union. Apparently If Conrad hadn't produced an heir of his own in two yrs time the title he was being forced to marry over would be stripped from him and either given to one of his brothers' children or if Stoffel had sired a son by then it would go to them.

Yozak was horrified when Alexa told Stoffel that Conrad had better learn to sleep with one eye open because she would do what his mother had been too weak to do and kill him while he slept. Stoffel's only retort was to tell her she'd be doing him a favor by getting rid of the half-breed disgrace his sister had given birth to.

If he could hear them loud and clear how much of this could Conrad – who was trapped in the other room hear?

Stoffel groaned, " I need to go out to the Great Hall, behave yourself, when you're introduced, and brought before the king – remember I will be compensating both you and your father for this."

Yozak bucked quickly into a dark alcove as Stoffel left, headed for the Great Hall. "Bastard," he whispered to himself as he hid waiting for his chance to leave unseen.

~~~***~~~~

Conrad looked up as the door to the room he was currently standing in was thrown open. He'd heard every word of Stoffel's conversation with the Lady Alexa and he had to admit he wasn't surprised although it still hurt. So he wasn't expecting to see Yozak framed in the doorway. He blinked, his friend looked like an angel with the light from the hallway shining off of his fiery hair.

In an effort to help him both Yozak, and Gwendal had asked him to try to figure out what he was attracted to. He'd discovered that he found the male form more attractive then he found the female form.

Actually he'd been rather startled when he'd analyzed his feelings for his friend and realized he was attracted to Yozak. His friend wasn't dressed in his normal attire; he looked good in his dress uniform.

"How much of that garbage did you hear?" Yozak asked him mildly.

Conrad sighed, "unforchunatly all of it. Nice woman don't you think? I guess I should count myself lucky I'm already a light sleeper." He said quietly, trying to make light of the situation.

"So without further ado I present to you the new heir to the -" his Lord Grandfather's voice drifted through the curtain from the Great Hall.

Yozak came all the way into the room closing the door quickly behind himself, "do you trust me?" he asked simply.

"yes." Conrad replied without having to think about it.

Yozak was across the room in a heartbeat. "Then play along." He said firmly, before wrapping his arms around Conrad, pulling him up against his strong chest and assaulting Conrad's lips with his own.

Conrad's eyes widened and he gasped, more than a little alarmed when Yozak used his moment of surprise to stick his tongue down his throat. After a moment he moaned, closed his eyes and leaned into his friend. Shivering slightly at the feeling of Yozak's hand sliding up his back tentatively he followed Yozak's example - doing his best to mimic his friend's actions. Sometime while their tongues were battling for dominance the curtain separating the room he was currently standing in from the great hall opened revealing them to the entire hall.

He honestly couldn't have cared less, at that particular moment in time.

After a second Yozak pulled away, "I – I care about you as more than a friend." Yozak whispered and gently kissed him on top of the head.

Conrad smiled at him, "I like you to." He whispered back. "I'm just not sure I'm ready for a relationship with anybody."

Yozak smirked at him "I can wait as long as you need." He said quietly, he would have said more but they were cut off by Stoffel.

"ah so you did find somebody." Stoffel said mildly. "One month, one month to have the wedding held and consummated, or my choice stands!" he continued firmly, before adding in a somewhat flippant tone of voice. "enjoy your evening."

Conrad closed his eyes and leaned heavily against his best friend, liking the soft feeling of Yozak rubbing his arm. "Now what?" he asked quietly.

~~~***~~~

A.N

This story just popped into my head and I couldn't make it go away. What do you think should I continue? Any who please read and review, give my muse a kick in the pants please.